ABSTRACT

Fallacies count as arguments in the sense that they fit our definition of an argument. They consist of a set of propositions, some of which are premises, one of which is a

conclusion, the latter intended to follow from the former. But in one way or another, they are bad arguments. Strictly speaking, a fallacy is a mistake in reasoning. One commits a fallacy when the reasons advanced or accepted in support of a claim fail to justify its acceptance. A fallacy can be committed either when one is deciding whether to accept a claim on the basis of a fallacious argument with which one has been presented, or when one is presenting the fallacious argument oneself.